Health System with 5 hospitals across 1 state
| Health System | Texas Health and Human Services |
|---|---|
| Total Hospitals | 5 |
| Commercial/Acute Hospitals | 0 |
| Total Beds | 636 |
| Commercial/Acute Beds | 0 |
| Headquarters | Austin, TX |
| Website | hhs.texas.gov |
| Hospital | Type | Beds | Teaching | Recently Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Spring State Hospital | Psychiatric | 160 | Yes | No |
| North Texas State Hospital | Psychiatric | 100 | Yes | No |
| San Antonio State Hospital | Psychiatric | 148 | Yes | No |
| Austin State Hospital | Psychiatric | 201 | No | No |
| Rio Grande State Center | Psychiatric | 27 | Yes | No |
Appointed executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission by Gov. Greg Abbott on Aug. 14, 2020. Previously served as acting executive commissioner from June 2018 to October 2018 and most recently as chief deputy executive commissioner. From 2007 to 2011, she served as associate commissioner for health coordination and consumer services at HHSC and returned as chief of staff in January 2015. Young has over 35 years of state government experience in Texas.
Chief of staff for Texas Health and Human Services Commission Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young. She supports and advises the Executive Commissioner and oversees the day-to-day operations of the commissioner's office. She works closely with the executive team on planning, cross-system issues and special projects. Hendrix comes to HHS from the Texas Hospital Association, where she worked on hospital finance and related policy. She was previously budget and policy advisor for Gov. Greg Abbott, a senior policy advisor for HHSC, and a budget and policy analyst for the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Hendrix has a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health and a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.
Oversees the planning and delivery of administrative support services to HHS system staff and the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). This office oversees Civil Rights; Contract Management Support; Emergency and Risk Management; Facilities Support; Human Resources; and Procurement and Contracting Services.
Chief financial officer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. He is responsible for the overall financial management of the agency and oversees the departments of Provider Finance, Actuarial Analysis, Forecasting, Budget, Accounting, and PTLL (Payroll, Time, Labor and Leave). Wood has more than 19 years of state government experience working almost exclusively in the areas of accounting, audit and budget at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, Attorney General's Office, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Health and Human Services Commission. While with HHSC, Wood has held previous roles as a senior financial analyst, budget manager, and director of budget. In addition to his time with the state, Wood previously worked for a public accounting firm conducting health care-related audits. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from The University of Texas at Austin and is a certified public accountant and certified internal auditor. Wood is a graduate of the Governor's Executive Development Program.
Provides legal support services to HHS system partners. This office oversees Legal Services; Appeals; Privacy; and Ethics.
Oversees public assistance programs, disability determination, and community-based programs and services accessed by millions of Texans; administers programs that serve as a safety net for Texans, providing health care, nutrition and support services; provides a unified and coordinated oversight of Access and Eligibility Services; Family Health Services; Community Services; Behavioral Health Services; and the Health and Specialty Care System.
Emily Zalkovsky serves as the Chief Medicaid and CHIP Services Officer and State Medicaid Director for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). She assumed the role of Medicaid director in July 2023. In this position, she is responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight for Texas Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which together serve millions of Texans. Zalkovsky has over 19 years of experience in health and human services policy and operations. Prior to her current role, she held various staff and leadership positions within HHSC, including deputy state Medicaid director, associate commissioner of policy and quality, director of policy development support, director for program management for Medicaid managed care, and deputy associate commissioner for policy and program. Her work at HHSC has focused on developing and administering programs and quality initiatives for vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. Before returning to state government, Zalkovsky worked outside of HHSC as a health care consultant and in the nonprofit sector, concentrating on housing and health policy. She holds a Master of Public Affairs and a bachelor's degree in government and English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Oversees Policy and Rules, Office of Transformation and Innovation, Office of Data, Analytics and Performance, Regulatory Services, and Compliance and Quality Control.
Oversees internal and external communications; public complaint resolution; government and stakeholder relations; and advises the Executive Commissioner and executive leadership team. This office oversees Communications, Government and Stakeholder Relations, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Responsible for developing and delivering information technology (IT) services.
Dr. Jennifer Shuford is the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) at Texas Health and Human Services. Before becoming Commissioner, she served as the Chief State Epidemiologist at DSHS. Dr. Shuford joined the Texas Department of State Health Services in 2017. Prior to her work at DSHS, she practiced as an infectious disease physician in Austin, Texas. Dr. Shuford is an infectious disease internist with over 20 years of experience. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed an internal medicine residency at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, where she served as chief resident. She completed an infectious disease fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and earned her Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Colorado College. Dr. Shuford was credited with supporting the state's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also serves on the faculty of the DSHS Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residency Program and is a consultant for the Committee on Infectious Disease and Council on Science and Public Health for the Texas Medical Association. Additionally, she is a member of the Travis County Medical Society and the Infectious Disease Society of America. She was appointed chair of the Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response by Governor Greg Abbott.
Stephanie Muth is the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) at Texas Health and Human Services. She began her tenure at DFPS on January 2, 2023. Muth has over 20 years of experience in Texas state government, with more than 15 years holding senior executive-level positions in health and human services departments. Her previous roles within Texas Health and Human Services include director of external relations, chief of staff, deputy over social services eligibility, and Texas State Medicaid Director from November 2017 to May 2020. As State Medicaid Director, she was responsible for the operational and policy aspects of the healthcare system serving over four million Texans, where she also improved managed care oversight and increased accountability. Before being appointed DFPS Commissioner, Muth was a consultant in private practice, which she established in June 2020. Her career accomplishments include modernizing Texas' paper-based eligibility system for programs like Medicaid and SNAP, significantly increasing online applications. She also oversaw a large-scale reorganization of health and human services programs, involving the transition of over 4,000 staff and more than 120 programs. On a national level, Muth has represented Texas for the American Public Human Services Association and served as a board member for the National Association of Medicaid Directors. She is also an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Medicaid Leadership Institute. Muth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. She also completed the Governor's executive development program at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.